rue
part of speech
verb (rue, rues, rued, ruing); noun (rue — a plant; la rue — French)
meaning for a pupil
1) (formal, literary) To rue something means to feel sorry about it and wish it had not happened, as in «you'll rue the day». tree →
2) Rue is a strong-smelling herb with yellow flowers and bluish leaves, used in the past as a medicine. tree →
3) (French) «Rue» is the French word for street, as in «rue de la Paix»; to an English ear it sounds a bit like «roo» with a tight, rounded mouth, and it is not an English word for street. tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories, a villain may threaten, «You'll rue the day you crossed me!», meaning you will regret it. In history and Shakespeare-style literature, rue was a symbol of sorrow. In French lessons and on French street signs, «rue» means street. Phrases: «rue the day», «la rue».
examples
- You'll rue the day you laughed at me! tree →
- He rued his decision not to bring a coat. tree →
- The team rued their missed chances. tree →
- Rue grew in the old herb garden. tree →
- The bakery is on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris. tree →
- In French, «la rue» means «the street». tree →
- ‘Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it, Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.’ tree →
note
Verb: rued, ruing (or rueing). It is formal and old-fashioned; everyday English says «regret». Related: rueful (sorry, regretful). Homophone: «roo» (Australian slang for kangaroo).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «rue» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.